UPSC Photo With Name and Date: Is It Still Needed in 2026?
UPSC's current candidate portal instructions do not ask for your name and date on the photo. They ask for a colour JPG of 20KB to 200KB named "photo", a plain white background, a straight face covering at least 75% of it with both ears visible, and no signature. The name and date rule came from UPSC's July 2024 FAQ.
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The current UPSC portal instructions don't ask for your name and date on the photo. The candidate portal's "Instructions for uploading documents" want a colour JPG of 20KB to 200KB named "photo", on a plain white background, with your face covering at least 75% of the frame and both ears visible, and its accepted sample photos carry no caption at all.
Make a portal-ready photo.jpg of 20KB to 200KB with the UPSC photo and signature resizer. It saves the file with the name UPSC expects.
UPSC photo and signature resizer
Photo: colour JPG, 20 to 200 KB, saved as photo. Signature: JPG, 20 to 100 KB, 350 to 500 px, saved as signature.
Runs in your browser. Your file never leaves your device. Open the full UPSC Photo & Signature Resize page
Where the name and date rule came from
The rule is real, it is just older. UPSC's examination FAQ of July 2024 (Q.11) said the candidate's name and the date the photo was taken should be mentioned at the bottom of the photograph, that the photo should not be more than 10 days old from the start of the online application, and that the file could be 20KB to 300KB. Coaching sites, cyber cafes and older blog posts copied that answer, which is why it still shows up when you search.
Since then UPSC has published a separate "Instructions for uploading documents" PDF on its candidate portal, with a table of every upload, the exact file names, and sample photos marked accepted or rejected. That document is the current rule: it sets the photo at 20KB to 200KB, lists what makes a photo fail, and says nothing about a name or date caption. The CSE 2026 notice (No. 05/2026-CSE) adds that you upload a photo and also capture a live photo while filling the Common Application Form, and that both must be clear.
What the portal checks instead
| Document | Format | File size (KB) | Dimensions | Other rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photo | JPG, colour | 20 to 200 | Face covers at least 75% (3/4) of the photo | Plain white background, frontal full face, head centred, both ears visible, eyes open, not signed; file named "photo" |
| Live photo | Captured in the form | Not applicable | Not applicable | Taken by camera while filling the CAF; must be clear |
| Signature | JPG | 20 to 100 | 350 to 500 pixels | Black pen on white paper, signed three times one below the other for CSE 2026; file named "signature" |
| Photo ID (Aadhaar or other) | JPG | 20 to 200 | Not specified | File named "id_card" |
| Certificates (matriculation, caste, disability, name change) | 50 to 300 | Not specified | Exact names such as board_certificate, caste_certificate |
Source: UPSC candidate portal, "Instructions for uploading documents" (checked September 2026), and UPSC Examination Notice No. 05/2026-CSE (live photo, three signatures). The portal says a document will not upload if any other file name, format or size is used. The full exam-by-exam breakdown is in our UPSC photo and signature size guide.
The 75% face rule and the ears rule
This is the check that actually trips people up. UPSC says the face must cover at least 75%, that is three quarters, of the area of the photo, and you should crop or take your photo so it matches the accepted samples. In practice that means a tight head-and-shoulders crop where your face fills most of the frame, not a passport print with lots of background and your suit visible.
The instructions also ask for a straight, frontal view with your head in the centre and both ear lobes visible. So you cannot crop so tight that the ears are cut off either. The safe zone is: face filling about three quarters of the frame, both ears inside it, a little white above the hair.
Why UPSC photos get rejected
The portal PDF shows sample photos and the reason each one failed. These are the reasons, in UPSC's own terms:
- Face coverage less than 3/4 of the photo (a normal passport style photo with a lot of shirt and background).
- Side view: the face should be looking directly at the camera.
- Blurred photo, with the face also too small.
- Upside down: the face is misaligned.
- Photo too small inside a large white canvas, so the face covers far less than 3/4.
- Face too close to the camera, out of frame, with ear lobes not visible.
The Dos and Don'ts table adds more: no dark backgrounds, no photos in uniform, no coloured or dark glasses hiding the eyes, no shadows on the face or background, eyes not covered by hair, no glare on spectacles, a natural expression (no grinning, frowning or raised eyebrows), and the photograph must not be signed.
How to make a photo that passes
- Stand against a plain white wall in daylight, facing the light so there are no shadows on your face or the wall.
- Hold the phone at eye level, look straight into the camera, keep your eyes open and your expression natural.
- Take off tinted glasses, and tilt clear glasses slightly if they catch glare.
- Crop to a tight head-and-shoulders frame with the passport size photo maker, so your face covers about three quarters of it and both ears stay visible.
- Open the UPSC resizer to save it as a colour JPG between 20KB and 200KB named photo.jpg.
- Check the result at full size against UPSC's accepted samples before you upload.
If your notification still asks for name and date
Always follow the notification and portal instructions for the exam you are applying to. If a specific UPSC notice, or a document you are asked to send separately, does ask for the name and date on the photo, add them as a small caption at the very bottom edge, below the chin, so the face still covers three quarters of the frame. Use Add Text in the add signature to image tool, which opens FixDoks's image editor, then resize the result again so it stays within 20KB to 200KB.
Do not add a caption on your own just because an old blog said so. A text strip takes space from the face, and a photo where the face covers less than 3/4 is exactly what UPSC's samples show as rejected.
Checklist before you upload
- Colour JPG, 20KB to 200KB, file named exactly "photo".
- Plain white background, no shadows, no dark or coloured glasses.
- Face covers at least 75% of the photo, head centred, both ears visible.
- No signature, and no name or date caption unless your notification asks for one.
- Same look (beard, spectacles) you will have for the live photo and at the exam.
- Signature ready as a separate file: see our UPSC three-signature format guide.
Tools for this
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to write my name and date on the UPSC photo in 2026?
Not under UPSC's current candidate portal instructions. The "Instructions for uploading documents" ask for a colour JPG of 20KB to 200KB named "photo" with a white background and your face covering at least 75% of it, and the accepted samples have no caption. Follow your exam's notification if it says otherwise.
Why do so many sites say UPSC needs name and date on the photo?
UPSC's July 2024 examination FAQ (Q.11) asked for the name and date at the bottom of the photo, a photo no older than 10 days, and a 20KB to 300KB file. Many pages copied that answer and were never updated. The current portal upload instructions replace it.
What is the UPSC photo size now?
A colour JPG between 20KB and 200KB, saved with the file name "photo". UPSC's portal says a document will not upload if any other file name, format or size is used.
Why was my UPSC photo rejected?
The most common reason in UPSC's own samples is that the face covers less than 3/4 of the photo. Other listed reasons are a side view, a blurred or upside down photo, a tiny photo on a big canvas, and a face so close that the ear lobes are cut off.
Can I wear glasses in the UPSC photo?
Clear glasses are fine if there is no glare on them. UPSC's instructions say photos with eyes hidden under coloured or dark glasses will not be accepted, and eyes must not be covered by hair.
Should I sign on the photo?
No. UPSC's instructions say the photograph is not to be signed. The signature is a separate JPG upload named "signature".
Sources
- UPSC candidate portal: Instructions for uploading documents (checked 2026-09)
- UPSC Examination Notice No. 05/2026-CSE (04.02.2026) (checked 2026-09)
- UPSC Examination FAQ, July 2024, Q.11 (older name and date rule) (checked 2026-09)
Rules and limits change. Always check the latest official notification or portal before you submit a form.